Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Are there major health benefits with one versus the other ?

Does MCT Oil similar ketone production ?

Is if the fact that MCT Oil is a man made and often comes from vegetable sources is a bad thing ?

I'm not one to make the draw the false conclusion that if "caveman no eat, we no eat", if that's your answer please at least spice it up with some comedy.

These are the things I ponder..your thoughts are appreciated

BTW this is specifically the MCT oil I'm referring to http://www.stepan.com/publicdownloads/download.asp?id=1393

flag	asked Feb 13 2012 at 16:59 MarkyMark 131●2●4

Evelyn aka CarbSane · Answer 1 · 2012-02-13 18:29:15Z UTC

Coconut oil is ~55% MCT's which includes chain lengths up to 12C. Less than 10% "MCT's" that you find in MCT oil which is mostly capric and caprylic acids (6 & 8C). Sorry, this is from memory, so the exact #'s may be off.

CO contains lauric acid that may be responsible for antimicrobial effects, etc. The shorter the chain length the more ketogenic an MCT will be. It is my understanding that the some of the longer chain MCT's are incorporated into chylomicrons. The shorter chain fatty acids are not and are processed in the liver.

foreveryoung · Answer 2 · 2012-04-11 02:50:21Z UTC

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both MCTs and coconut oil have their own unique "health benefits." If you want weight loss, for instance, go with MCT. If you want an antimicrobial effect and/or think tons of saturated fat is good for you, then eat coconut oil. However, it is just oil, and provides zero nutrition, so should be used sparingly regardless.

answered Apr 11 2012 at 2:50

foreveryoung
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Re: MCT & weight loss, where folks go wrong with MCT's is they add them as a supplement. MCT oil can assist in weight loss b/c it has around 8 cal/g vs. 9 for long chain. I've yet to see any evidence of the purported thermogenic properties boosting metabolism and such. – Evelyn aka CarbSane Apr 11 2012 at 11:29

James · Answer 3 · 2012-02-14 00:19:10Z UTC

The answer is, it depends on your goals and where you want to use it. Coconut oil can be cooked with. My recollection is MCT oil should not. Coconut oil adds flavor, MCT does not.

As mentioned, MCT oil is a more "refined" source of MCT's. More so than coconut oil. So it will create more ketones and provide a more ready source of energy. But MCT's and coconut oil both come from plants (there's no change there). MCT's can come from coconut oil.

They use MCT oil for the epileptic diets, not so much coconut oil.

BearBruce · Answer 4 · 2012-04-11 01:12:30Z UTC

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MCT Oil has also been used for Alzheimer's patients to partially recover memory.

answered Apr 11 2012 at 1:12

BearBruce
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Coconut Oil as well. But dosed higher to get equivalent MCT's out of it (according to Dr Mary Newport). – James Apr 11 2012 at 7:17

MCT Oil Vs. Coconut Oil

4 Answers